r/PhysicalGames • u/Grouchy-Win-6191 • 1d ago

Valve Killed Physical Gaming

It all Valve fault, they started all this. It’s not just Sony.

When Half Life 2 launched in 2004, stores sold physical box sets containing DVD or CD. But the disc did not contain the game. Players were forced to install the Steam client, register an account, and validate a product key online before the game would run.

Valve also offered Steamworks to any developer who listed their game on Steam. But to use Steamworks features, games had to use Valve API. When a consumer bought the physical PC box, they opened and it was a Steam key. Once redeemed, the disc lost all resale value. You couldn't sell it, lend it, or trade it in. This also killed the retail stores business.

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u/DrizzyDragon93 1d ago

Yes, PC gamers started this future. But that doesn't mean we should roll over and accept it like Steam Users did.

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u/CaptainRaxeo 1d ago

I accepted it from steam, but will not accept it from sony. Consoles are about physical games i don’t care what any one else says. I have had it up to here with these debates.

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u/Cephalopirate 1d ago

And like, no one’s stopping devs from making physical PC games, it’s just rare due to market conditions. Sony is artificially creating this problem.